Hi guys,
Does anyone have any pictures of the Southern Pacific AC9’s ? I have tried googling and only come up with DM&IR versions of these locomotives. I hear the SP versions were streamlined like the Daylight locomotives. Any help would be nice. Thanks, Truck.
Here is what I have found Truck. Not being a Cab Forward I have no idea if this is what you are looking for.
http://www.steamlocomotive.com/cabforward/
http://thecourier.typepad.com/alongtherightofway/2009/12/southern-pacific-ac9.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Pacific_class_AC-9
http://train-station.com/shop/023922380319.html
http://www.catskillarchive.com/rrextra/spr4102.Html
http://www.sphts.org/pmcclosky/spwebresources.html
Seems a little odd to me, some show the AC-9 to be a Cab Forward, then some are the standard type cab?
Cuda Ken
Thanks Cuda Ken those links helped alot. SP only had 12 of them and they were not cab forwards. I would like to get one in HO scale but no one is producing them. The link to the brass HO one made in the 50’s or 60’s sure looked nice. Thanks, Truck.
So they are Yellowstone’s? If so, T White (member) has a few he run’s on his Mountain Layout. You would think with all the Big Steam being made today some one would make one. Maybe BLI now that they cannot make anymore Big Boy’s.
Glad I was of some help Truck.
Ken
The SP AC-9 was conventional 2-8-8-4 engine. IIRC, it does have semi-streamlined shrouding on the top of the boiler similar to the 4-8-2 engines. They were built as coal burners, but later converted to oil fired.
Jim
Truck:
The SP AC-9’s were built by Lima for use as coal-burners on their Rio Grande Division between El Paso, TX and Tucumcari NM, for fast, heavy freight service. After WWII, as the Rio Grande division was dieselized, they were converted to oil burners and transferred to the SP’s Modoc Line in northeastern California, where they were used in helper service between Wadsworth, NV and Alturas, CA.
One interesting thing about the AC-9’s, being conventional cab-behind articulateds, they could not be run over the SP’s Donner Pass line when they were transferred up from New Mexico, because the overhang threatened to damage the snowsheds, so they were run up the Central Valley on the Shasta Line to Klamath Falls OR, then back south on the Modoc Line to Alturas. DEFINITELY the ‘long-way-around’ for their new assignments, LOL!
They were very handsome articulateds, well-built and powerful. I believe they had the same Tractive Effort as the SP’s later AC Cab-Forwards (123,000 lbs TE). They had large all-weather cabs and were built with the ‘Skyline Casing’ that SP used on their Mountains and LIma-Built GS 4-8-4’s.
I know that AKANE produced an AC-9 in brass back in the 1960’s–I have one that I bought used some years back. I believe Westside also produced one, though I could be wrong about that. I think at least one other poster on this forum has one on his roster, also. But they are definitely a ‘rare bird’ as far as having been modeled. Too bad, too, as they’re a VERY handsome articulated, IMO.
Tom
@ Tom:
Just yesterday I received my very first brass engine ever: a SP AC-9 by Akane!!! My most favorite version with large Southern Pacific lettering on the coal tender! I can´t run it yet because I only have DCC track. A friend of mine will convert it to DCC, including sound, cab light and smoke. Although the motor is in the cab, I can see that there is still enough space to install a cab light. The bad thing is that the smoke stacks are closed, so first there has to be a hole drilled through to make place for the smoke units (by Seuthe). I just hope that the boiler is empty inside at the front. I would like to take a look inside the engine, because I also want to show my friend how to open up the engine. But I don´t know really how to open it. Can you probably tell me how to proceed? I just found 2 screws at the back of the locomotive and 4 srews (2 srews on each side; 1 towards the boiler front and 1 towards the boiler center) at the lower sides of the boiler (I marked the spots with red colored circles on the photos). Especially the screws towards the center of the boiler are almost impossible to approach because of the rods and detailing. Are these the screws that stick the upper part of the engine to the chassis?
I had a little problem with the pilot/pilot holder/front platform: somehow it was positioned too low and the lower end of the pilot touched the ground/the rails. I needed to put 2 pieces of adhesive pads on the cylinder block below the front platform to make the pilot not touch the ground/the rails anymore (the white adhesive pads I marked also with a red colored circle in the photo). I some other photos of the Akane AC-9 on the internet I saw as well that the pilot was touchi
Deluxe:
The two screws at the back end of the cab are correct, but the other two screws are facing you just behind the second cylinder, one on each side. Just loosen–don’t remove-- those two screws, they hold the boiler to the frame. The boiler should lift right off.
What I’ve been doing with my old Akane open-frame motors is replacing the magnets with Rare Earth magnets–you can get them from Micromark–and the difference in amperage and low speed control is astounding. Also, you will need to isolate the motor from the frame, if you’re going to go DCC (I’m DC, so I can’t help you very much with that).
One thing I would suggest, since you’re operating your Akane on tighter radii, is to replace the flexible tubing between the driver sets with a set of universal drive shafts. A-Line drive shafts used for diesel drive replacements will work very well, or use 3.0 NWSL universals. It’s much easier on the motor, especially if your radii are under 26". Yes, those Akanes were engineered for tight radii, because they were built to RUN, not be Shelf Queens, LOL!
Yes, SP painted the pilot silver, after the locos were converted to oil for the Modoc line.
Again, congratulations. You’ve got a loco that’s at least 40 years old (maybe even older) and one that should, with proper maintanence, run for another 40 years. The Akanes are built like Sherman Tanks. I’ve got 6 of them–3 Missabe 2-8-8-4’s, 2 SP AC 8-12 4-8-8-2’s and the one AC-9. I run 'em all and frequently.
Tom
Hello Tom,
yes indeed, they aren´t supposed to be Shelf Queens but to RUN! [:D][Y] That´s what´s up! [8D] Nice to hear that this is true quality work that will last on for so many years with proper maintenance! I was born in 85, so I guess this model is at least 20 years older than me (I read that Akane was only doing models between 58 and 64)! And I really hope that it will “serve” me for the next 40 years or so!
Thanks very much for the advice with the drive shafts. Do you know where to order/buy them?
About the srews. I´m sorry but I couldn´t find/see any screws just behind the second cylinders!!! I really looked after it but sorry, no screws behind them! [:^)]
Daniel
Dan:
The screws are right above and behind the right hand corner of the second set of cylinders. There is a small brass connection between the frame and the boiler, with a screw sticking out of it. If you loosen the screw, then the connection slides in half as you lift the boiler up. Don’t unscrew them completely, just loosen them. I can see the screw in the enlargement of the first and third photographs. They’ve been painted the same color as the boiler, so they’re not that instantly noticeable.
Tom
These old Akane AC-9’s ser one of the best running brass engines I have seen. This one shown on my layout “taking water” belongs to a retired SP Engineer who ran the prototype out on the Alturas Line during the early 1950s. “Says the prototype was one of the easiest to run steam locomotives.”
@ Tom:
Thanks for the more detailed description! I found it! [:D] I just didn´t find it before because I was constantly looking at the boiler since I thought tha the screw was attached to the boiler. But now I found what you mean! Thank you!
@ steamage:
Very nice to read again that this is such a good running model! You really confirm that my choice was the right one! I guess I won´t regret buying it! I´m so happy that I finally got my all time favorite articulated. These beasts really look absolutely amazing! In my eyes the most beautiful and exotic looking articulated steamer! Must be very nice for that retired SP engineer to remember the real thing everytime while running this model! Interesting to know that they were easy to run as well!
By the way: Currently I have a 12 car 1948 Golden State train in the finishing process. Some cars still need to have digital lighting installed. When my AC-9 will be upgraded as well, I might upload 2 videos of it on youtube: one showing a freight train being pulled by the AC-9 and another one showing the Golden State being pulled by a Rock Island DL-109 A Unit, a Southern Pacific E7 A-B-B Unit (in Golden State Scheme of course) and the AC-9! Will look great I guess! [:D]
There are several books on SP Steam power that feature pix of the AC-9s. Also Katsumi did a run of brass AC-9s that were a little more detailed than the Akane version. I have both an Akane Cab Forward and a Katsumi AC-9 and they are both very good runners even using their original open frame motors. It would be a good idea to replace the tubing connecting the drive shafts though as it gets “tired” over time and these babys are at least forty years old by now. One further tip: When you are replacing the screws that hold the boiler to the frame, dip your precision screwdriver tip in a little petroleum jelly or soldering flux. That will impart just enough stickyness so that you can fasten the screw to the blade of the screwdriver just long enough to steer it into its hole. Without this trick it can be really tedious trying to start the screws in that tight space!
Thanks for advice! I will surely take this into consideration! I´m really looking forward for the day to see it run for the first time!